Nonprofit entrepreneurship academy is a tenant in The Corner development under construction

New headquarters would have space for desks, events, pop-up retail, classrooms

Nonprofit seeks relationship with Ford in Corktown

Von Staden Architects

A rendering shows the storefront of entrepreneurship academy Build Institute's planned new headquarters in Detroit's Corktown. The nonprofit signed on for a 3,800-square-foot space in The Corner development at Michigan and Trumbull avenues.

Detroit entrepreneurship academy Build Institute is seeking a relationship with Ford Motor Co. as it plans an "affordable" co-working space on Michigan Avenue in Corktown.

The nonprofit, which spun off this year from fiduciary Downtown Detroit Partnership, is looking to raise $50,000 through crowdfunding platform Patronicity to help fund a new headquarters.

It has signed on as a tenant of The Corner, a $30 million mixed-use development at the old Tiger Stadium site.

Build Institute raised $19,353 as of Monday morning. If it hits its $50,000 goal, the Michigan Economic Development Corp. will match that amount with a grant through the state's Public Spaces Community Places program. The nonprofit is also seeking in-kind donations, naming rights sponsorships and additional money.

The academy's executive director, April Boyle, said building out the 3,800-square-foot space would cost a "couple hundred thousand," plus more for fixtures and equipment. She said a more specific estimate wasn't yet available.

Build Institute aims to give aspiring entrepreneurs and small businesses tools they need to succeed. It runs classes and hosts events.

Moving out of the building it shares with service organization Repair the World on Bagley Avenue between southwest Detroit and Corktown, the nonprofit wants to expand into more of a "hub" for businesses to connect, work, learn, meet and sell their wares, Boyle said.

The pricing model hasn't been set up yet for Build's incoming co-working space. But Boyle said she will keep prices lower than those of New York-based shared-space company WeWork, which has two downtown Detroit locations. WeWork lists monthly fees at $280 per month and dedicated desks at $380 per month.

Corktown buzz

Boyle signed on for retail space with subsidized rent in The Corner development in Corktown before Dearborn-based Ford announced it would buy Michigan Central Station. The automaker's leaders say the company will create a $740 million mobility-focused campus in the neighborhood.

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Rossetti Architects

Larson Realty Group broke ground in May on The Corner, a $30 million mixed-use development at the old Tiger Stadium site in Corktown that is expected to take 12 months to finish. Plans include 111 apartments and 26,000 square feet of commercial space.

With buzz about Ford including entrepreneurs and first-floor retail in its plans for redevelopment of the historic depot, Boyle said she thinks Build would be a good fit to assist.

As of mid-November, Build hadn't had direct conversations with Ford, but it is "actively seeking out a partnership with them," Boyle said.

"I see all kinds of opportunity to be a hub and a middle-man and a connector for opportunities that would happen in that corridor," she said. "We hope we can be an incubator for talent if (Ford is), hopefully, embracing entrepreneurs and businesses in that first-floor retail in the train station."

But first Build Institute needs to set up in the Michigan Avenue corridor.

The Corner development, a four-story building at Michigan and Trumbull avenues that's under construction, will have 26,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. Bloomfield Hills-based development firm Larson Realty Group LLC is leading the project and announced Build as a tenant in May. Construction is expected to finish around mid-2019.

Build is still working with its architect, Von Staden Architects of Royal Oak, on layout. It hasn't yet selected a general contractor.

The nonprofit would operate out of the back of the space, while the front would offer pop-up retail, an open work area, event space and classrooms.

The location change would bring Build Institute more into the public eye. The Corner is along a restaurant-lined street just west of Detroit's downtown.

The nonprofit with 1,500 graduates of its classes — including apparel company Detroit is the New Black, bakery Good Cakes and Bakes and floral shop Pot + Box — is on a trajectory of budget growth, according to Boyle. It reported $750,000 for 2017 and $650,000 for 2016, while it was still an affiliate of the DDP. It left that relationship Jan. 1 to run independently, and then officially earned its 501(c)(3) nonprofit status in September.

Boyle expects just less than $1 million for 2018's budget and made a general estimation of $1 million-$1.2 million for 2019. Revenue sources include course fees and Build Boxes, or holiday gift crates containing items from local businesses.

It employs six full-time staff, a couple of part-timers and about 10 instructors who work as contractors.